My neice's property is laden with trees, its a wonderland for Hostas. I am supposed to go up there, take my divisions of Hostas and help her get some beds started. I told her to ask her dad to get a tiller so we can work the soil. She dont think a tiller would work, because she has all these rocks in the soil and black clay dirt. Can some one tell me what she is talking about? Is the soil that bad? I dont know what area of Austin, but this picture shows a part of the grounds.
Thanks
I tiller might work depending on how much and how big the rocks are. This part of the country grows rocks regularly !
One note... if she has any deer around she doesn't want to take the time to plant hostas because deer think they are candy!
Put some peat and compost in when you till.
OMG Deer! Thanks Renatelynne ... I will email her right now.
Sylvia
Henry Duelberg salvia will keep the deer out of her hostas, or at least it does for me. I am right in the path for them to go to & fr the Lake, daily for a drink.
Where do you get those plants Linda? Do they grow in shade?
Smockette,
Any other plants you use to help diswade the deer? I am always interested in that! They just love eating in my garden! *giggle
nada
When you come to Austin, let me know. I have a sack of tumbled glass for your hosta pots to 'deter' the snails and slugs. As for the niece's yard, maybe the backyard is fenced in?
Yes, the soil is really that bad here. I do have to say though, that it is better in some areas of Austin. Lets just say, when you want to plant something...forget about using a shovel. I get the pick axe out and hammer away...for hours!!! To get around this, I usually bring dirt in. Yes I know, it sounds ridiculous to have to buy soil, but that is what I have found works for me. There are landscaping places where you can get a truckload of great soil for about $15. I will prepare the bed border, pull grass and weeds or place newspaper over it for a week or two to kill the vegetation and then rake over it and add new soil. It works for me, but it is a lot of work.
Limestone is the type of rock that is here. I hate it at my house, but I love it in nature. If you go to the lakes around here, you will see beautiful rock all over the place. Mostly limestone and granite. Lake Travis is beautiful compared to other lakes in Texas and it is a pretty blue color and usually pretty clear. It is mostly due to the limestone in and around the lake.
my daughter lives in Austin and I have really enjoyed planting in the yard. I would recommend terracing the front yard with bolders and adding top soil. A big rock garden with native plants, and sedum's and succulents.
This is a good web-site for Austin gardening
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/watershed/plantlist.htm
We're on 71/2 ac in the hill country...I say we live in the country, the kids (teenagers) say we live in the middle of nowhere. Actually we're only about 45 min from Austin and San Antonio. Anyway, we have lots of rocks. I prefer to double dig a bed but that's hard to do here w/ just a shovel. Instead, what I've done, is cut the grass very short where I want a new bed. I put down several sheets of newspaper (a water hose handy to spray on the paper is very helpful to keep the paper down), I put compost on top of that and then mulch it all. When I want to plant something, I only need to dig in the one spot, and I'm a firm believer in the smaller the pot, the smaller the hole! Its the "lazy" way to garden, but a whole lot easier to make a new bed in the rocks!
As far as the deer & rabbits, a lot of my plants are deer resistant but when they get desparate, I break out the Liquid Fence.
Sylvia, we have it here @ the Farm.
I have some in full some & some in partial shade.
Sylvia--I've just met 3 people who have been growing hostas in Houston for years. Their plants look great. I figure if they can do it, I can too, right? lol I want plants at the Dallas Swap. Can you look on my list and see what you want? I will also root you some salvia clevelandii that you mentioned earlier that you wanted (the scented one).
Your niece has a beautiful house! With those trees, she should be able to do a lot with it.
Debbie
Debbie i am told you 90 days of freezing weather. if you get that you are fine. then they are some that tolerate this texas heat. No worry i am going to bring you one. I got about five or six that need to divided. so you are on the list!:)
What ever you want give me is going to be something I love.
Sylvia,
I live in Lakeway, and indeed, a tiller would be a waste of money. You have to dig a hole--well, try to!!-- and deal with the rocks. In one bed I have I had to start a hole 4 times as everytime I hit a HUGE rock that could NOT be removed. One rock on my property was buried right where we wanted to enlarge the driveway, and I got a guy to move it. He cracked it, and the piece you see here (was the size of a small car!!) is now above ground.
I live very near austin and the deer eat almost everything my garden is surrounded by an electric fence as well as a traditional fence and I have one of those motion activated sprinklers hostas would be a joke here,I have reverted to planting very deer resistant plants only,brugmansia,butterfly bush,sea hollies,oleander,japanese painted ferns,columbines,calalilly some cannas its been very discouraging but as I love it here I am adapting just not as much color as I am used to a tiller will work here in most places but the rocks will beat you to death till you get it broke up at least once
This message was edited Jul 26, 2006 3:57 PM
ted,
I have deer also. Have you tried some of the ornamental grasses? I have had good luck with them. Also American Beautyberry, fig tree, elephant ears rosemary, lavendar, tyme and a few others. High country gardens has a LOT of good deer risistant plants.
I do have elephant ears my front bed is (tropical)elephant ears,banana trees,dwarf canna (which get nibbled on) and sago palms all nice plants but very little color might try the lavender thanks for the info
some of the grasses have color too. purple, red, orange,
OMG ... My neice says she has no deers because she lives in the city ... east Austin. Does this make a difference?
Connie I love your rock, people pay for those here.
Ted ... Oh dear! the deers are giving you a rough time. I always thought it would be great to have a place out in the woods with Deer running thru it ... but I guess not. lol
Thanks guys
Well. then she MIGHT not have rocks either...I don't know...some areas are better than others! She could just start an "experimental hole" or two...and she will find out soon! :)
Okay now since when do I need 90 days of cold weather to grow Hostas..LOL...I have had few growing here for about 3 years now and they come back every year..so I ordered 35 more hostas to do my wooded shaded gardens...lol..
I do have a friend who lives in Austin and we have to put her garden beds on top of the ground since she has rocks buried everywhere on her property..starting with newspaper,mushroom compost,organic humus and sand...and edge the flowerbeds with the rocks we find...
Connie ... she is the one who told me about the rocks, so I am quite sure its true. We gardeners do have our perils..dont we?
Mooden that a good idea! I think the raised bed is the way to go. Her dad can build those too.
Bigbubbles I hear you up there. I will keep you posted on the date.
the east side doesnt have many deer and from what little I know the rocks arnt usually as bad either
tednugent, You wild man! I live just S of you (on 2325) between Blanco & Wimberley. The deer are here everyday, in spite of 2 dogs. I've used Liquid Fence and Deer Away, and both seem to help considerably. I've read that fishing line strung around your garden/flower beds 3 feet up will keep them out too. Haven't tried that yet...I also have a big problem w/ rabbits. I live @ the White Rabbit (Hill Country Ranches) & ever since Preston stopped raising white rabbits, the wild ones seem to have REALLY multiplied!!
Have both of you Ted and dogmansis seen the san antonio plant swap? It is actually happening in Boerne which is closer to both of you than san Antonio.
I haven't seen it. Could you fill me in? 'preciate it!
Here is a link to part II and it has links to the other parts.
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/630016/
